


Remedy

by SeventhSparrow



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, benkaru, benkaru week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 04:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8876260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeventhSparrow/pseuds/SeventhSparrow
Summary: Hikaru's suffering from the flu on Ben's birthday.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is set less than a year from [Blackbirds and Painted Dreams](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7898143), but can be read as a stand-alone fic. 
> 
> For Benkaru week.

Ben really disliked most Vulcan food. It wasn’t that it was particularly gross, but he just found it so dull. He thought most of it tasted boringly bland and he had a hard time getting excited over an entirely vegetarian cuisine. Ten months ago, he would have never expected to be eating Vulcan takeout on his birthday. There were a lot of things that were different today that he would have never expected almost a year ago, though. Good things, mostly. 

He carefully cradled a warm container of fresh plomeek soup in one hand as he palmed the door open, a shopping bag hanging from the crook of his arm. He had barely kicked off his shoes and made it five feet inside the apartment before a loud retching noise echoed down the hall. Ben winced. He set the food on the kitchen counter and hunted through the bag for the most important item he’d picked up before heading to the bathroom. 

Hikaru had caught the Ktarian stomach flu. Unfortunately, a human version of a cure was still in development. All they could do was try to treat the symptoms while the virus ran its course. Ben had just gotten over it last week, but his bout had never escalated beyond a constant feeling of mild nausea and being uncomfortably feverish. Hikaru had carefully doted over him and was rewarded with an infection that was considerably worse. 

Ben felt absolutely terrible.

He found Hikaru draped in an exhausted heap over the toilet, his eyes closed and skin pale. Hikaru’s face was shiny with sweat, his hair limp, and his head was propped on the toilet seat like it was a pillow. Ben grimaced and tried to remember when they last ran the cleaning cycle in the bathroom, then decided not to think too hard about it. 

“Hey, baby.” Ben pressed a gentle kiss against Hikaru’s temple and hoped that side of Hikaru’s face hadn’t touched the toilet yet. 

Hikaru just grunted miserably in reply. 

Ben wiped at Hikaru’s face with some tissue and a sigh. Frowning at the contents of toilet bowl, Ben touched the button for the toilet’s flush cycle. “You couldn’t even keep the tea down?” 

“Nnnh,” Hikaru moaned. “I think I’m ready to die now.”

“Hey now, I didn’t just wait at the clinic for over two hours to get this hypospray so you could die on me,” Ben chided. He touched the cylinder to Hikaru’s neck and pressed the trigger. Hikaru winced but didn’t complain. He just stayed slumped against the toilet while he waited for the anti-nausea medication to kick in. 

“My hero,” Hikaru muttered. “Why the wait?” 

Ben eased down to sit on the floor beside Hikaru and softly rubbed his shoulders. “Eh, apparently it’s been a pretty busy day for them. An angry appendix, a lady trying to pop out a baby, and a shark bite.”

At that, Hikaru finally cracked an eye. “A shark bite, really?” His tone was disbelieving.

“Yeah, some idiot decided to go surfing beyond the sonic barrier and almost ended up as a fish hors d'oeuvres. Lucky for him, it was just a baby.”

“Wow, and I thought _I_ was an adrenaline junkie.”

“Yeah, glad you’re not that crazy. I know a shark bite would make a pretty cool battle scar, but... Please. Just. No.” Ben winked at Hikaru and was rewarded with a tiny smile before Hikaru’s eyes slid shut again. For at least fifteen minutes, they both just sat there and listened as Hikaru’s stomach made vaguely threatening gurgling sounds. Ben mentally kept his fingers crossed that Hikaru wouldn’t start hurling again even as he continued to massage Hikaru’s back soothingly. 

Hikaru finally sat up and scrubbed at his face. “It’s kicking in, thank God. How long will this last?” 

“About eight hours, but they gave me some pills you can take before it wears off and those should keep the nausea away as long as you don’t wait too long between doses.” Ben checked the chronometer on his wrist. “Just remember to take a pill after dinner and you should be fine.”

Hikaru’s face twisted with disgust. “I’m not feeling well enough to try to think about dinner yet.”

Ben squeezed his shoulder. “Well, I think you should try to eat something in a bit,” he told him firmly. “I brought you some plomeek soup. It should go down easy. Shower first, though. You’ll feel better. Plus, you smell like barf. And you put your face on the toilet,” Ben said with a shudder that was only partly joking. 

Hikaru pouted at him. “I just ran the cycle this morning when I realized this was probably where I’d be spending the whole day, jerk.”

“Yeah, well, you still have toilet face,” Ben teased. “C’mon, now. Off with this.” Ben plucked at Hikaru’s shirt and dragged it over Hikaru’s head when he lifted his arms obediently. Ben tugged Hikaru’s sweatpants down and smacked his ass lightly to push him in the direction of the shower. 

“You know, it’s not sexy when you make me feel like you’re my mom,” Hikaru grumbled as he reached for the water controls. Ben noticed Hikaru’s hand was shaking slightly and his head seemed to wobble a bit. Feeling a stab of alarm, he hurried over to grab Hikaru’s arm.

“Hikaru, are you okay? Do you need help in there?” 

Hikaru actually blushed, his cheeks turning dark with embarrassment. “I’m fine, Ben. Just a little shaky.”

“Well, I’m not going to let you fall over in the shower.” Ben unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off. “That’d definitely be the worst birthday ever.” He pulled his pants and boxers down and carefully squeezed in behind Hikaru. 

Hikaru sighed and let Ben adjust the water settings. “I’m sorry for ruining your birthday,” he said quietly. “I had a big day planned. Reservations at that Andorian place and everything. And instead of having fun, you’re playing nursemaid all day and eating plomeek soup.”

“What?” Ben wrapped his arms around Hikaru and squeezed him gently. “Hey, you didn’t ruin my birthday. You’re here, and that’s the best thing I could’ve asked for.” He kissed Hikaru’s ear and leaned them into the warm shower spray. “I just wish you were feeling better. The last thing I want either of us to have to deal with _any_ day is being miserably sick.”

Ben squeezed some shampoo out and started washing Hikaru’s hair. “And it’s not like I hate Vulcan food. I’ll add some kimchi and bacon to my soup. Who knows, maybe I’ll start a culinary revolution.” Hikaru chuckled and leaned into Ben’s hands as Ben rinsed the shampoo out. “And when you don’t feel like you’ve been strapped to a five hour merry-go-round spinning at warp speed, we’ll go for Andorian.” Ben turned Hikaru around and pulled him against his chest. He rubbed soapy hands soothingly over Hikaru’s skin. “Or maybe that new Ktarian place.”

Hikaru groaned into Ben’s chest. “I never want to hear the word ‘Ktarian’ again, Ben.” 

Ben laughed. “Okay, maybe not.”

After they finished their shower and were dressed in clean clothes, Hikaru felt well enough to eat some of his plomeek soup. Ben didn’t go so far as to add the kimchi and bacon he’d threatened, but he did find a tin of crunchy fried onion bits in the cupboard that saved Ben’s helping from being a chore to eat. 

Lunch was cleared away then Hikaru presented Ben’s birthday gift, which was a beautiful ink painting of a moody landscape. They agreed it would look best over the mantle, and Ben already had it hung up by the time he joined Hikaru to snuggle under a blanket on the couch. They watched some vids for a few hours with Hikaru dozing intermittently between cracking snide comments at the melodramatic romance Ben had tuned into. Ben couldn't help but smile to himself at the sense of contentment he felt from a day of pure domesticity. _I must be getting old._

Ben managed to cajole Hikaru into eating a bit more soup for dinner. Afterward, Hikaru dozed against Ben’s chest on the couch again while Ben read a novel on his PADD. He was just thinking about giving Hikaru his medication when Hikaru grunted and forced his eyes open. 

“Damn, sorry. I just remembered that your mom called.”

“What? Really? What did she say?” Ben suddenly felt nervous, and very guilty. Ben had met Hikaru’s family after just two months of dating but Ben still hadn’t told his parents about Hikaru. Actually, Ben hadn’t even spoken to them in nearly seven months, but Ben and Hikaru had _moved in_ together almost six months ago. Hikaru knew Ben’s relationship with his parents wasn’t on the best of terms and he never pushed Ben to be introduced to them. 

“I didn’t take the call. She left you a message.” Hikaru’s eyes closed again but Ben felt like Hikaru was pretending to be less awake than he really was. 

Ben sighed silently to himself and put the PADD down. He stroked Hikaru’s hair, thinking as he ran his fingers through the short strands. His mother had probably just called to wish him a perfunctory happy birthday like she had for the last handful of years. Ben no longer counted his parents’ approval or involvement as a necessity for his overall happiness. Even so, Ben didn’t want to hear his parents criticize the most important person and relationship in Ben’s life. 

Ben raised an eyebrow at his train of thought. _Wow._ It was too soon, way too soon, but... Ben reached for Hikaru’s hand and rubbed his thumb over Hikaru’s skin. Ben could imagine a ring there someday. Not today, or next month, but definitely sooner than just a faraway day in his daydreams. 

First things first, though. 

“The weather on the east coast is gorgeous right now. Feel like having dinner with my family next week if you’re feeling better?” Ben’s voice was smooth, not quaking at all like his insides suddenly were.

Hikaru’s eyes shot open and his dark eyes met Ben’s questioningly. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry I never asked before.” Ben said quietly. 

Hikaru squeezed his hand. “I figured it wouldn’t be easy for you, after everything you’ve told me about them.”

“Even so, I want them to meet the man I’m in love with. Whatever they think, they should know who you are.”

Hikaru smiled warmly, obviously touched. 

“Okay, as long as I’m not contagious any more. I don’t want your parents giving you hell for the next thirty years because I gave them the Ktarian flu once.”

Ben laughed heartily. “Good thinking. That reminds me -- better take your pills.”

Hikaru was quick to obey. 

Once he was well medicated, Hikaru crawled into bed. Ben bustled around the bedroom, tidying up for a couple minutes. Just to be safe, he set a wastebasket on Hikaru’s side of the bed then climbed into the bed and fluffed the pillows. Once Ben was finally settled, Hikaru snuggled against his side tiredly and curled an arm around Ben’s stomach. 

“Not going to call your mom tonight?” 

“Nah,” Ben replied. “I can do that tomorrow. There’s someone else I’d rather spend the rest of my birthday with.”

“Sorry you’re not getting any hot birthday sex tonight.” Hikaru’s voice was already drowsy. Probably from the pills. Or maybe just from turning his guts inside out repeatedly for almost eighteen hours.

With a smirk, Ben felt Hikaru’s forehead. “Well, you still have the hot part down, at least, but I think I’ll take a raincheck on the rest of it for now. You need anything?” 

“Just to feel better,” Hikaru said in a soft slur. “And you.” His arm squeezed Ben loosely.

“I think you’re past the worst of it now. Tomorrow should be better.” Wrapping an arm around Hikaru, Ben turned the light off and kissed Hikaru’s forehead. “And you got me. Always.”

Hikaru sighed against Ben’s neck. “That’s all I really need.”

“Me, too.”

Ben smiled to himself. His birthday didn’t go at all as planned, but it was the first one with Hikaru. That’s all Ben really needed to make it special.


End file.
